Learn to make the best baked sweet potatoes in a delicious orange juice and brown sugar glaze. Whether you're gathering for Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, or a regular Sunday dinner, this Old-Fashioned candied sweet potatoes recipe serves as an ideal side dish for your holiday meal.
If you love more sweet potato recipes, try this pecan sweet potato casserole and this creamy mash.
We love to serve them during holidays with deviled eggs, cabbage casserole and pepperoni pizza bake.
Jump To
- Why You'll Love These Candied Yams
- Love Easy Side Dish Recipes? Try These Next!
- 🛒Ingredients
- Choosing Sweet Potatoes For Candied Yams
- 🥘 Instructions
- What Is The Flavor of Candied Sweet Potatoes?
- What Is The Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes
- ⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- 📋Tips
- Storage Instructions
- Make-Ahead Instructions
- 👪Serving Suggestions
- For Dessert, Give These a Try!
- Variations
- 🤷Frequently Asked Questions
- 📖Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love These Candied Yams
- Prep-Ahead Simplicity - This sweet potato casserole is simple to make with minimal ingredients, and can be made 2 days in advance!
- Festive side dish - It's a perfect side dish for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas, easter or family gatherings, adding a comforting touch to the meal.
- Perfectly sweet - This recipe offers a sweet, caramelized taste that enhances the natural flavors of the sweet potatoes.
- Also try these crispy roasted sweet potato cubes.
Love Easy Side Dish Recipes? Try These Next!
🛒Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes - Choose fresh sweet potatoes, medium sized, firm ones with smooth, unblemished skin. Smaller ones are sweeter, while larger ones are starchier and less flavorful. Aim for about 3 pounds of sweet potatoes.
- Citrus boost - Zest and juice 1-2 oranges for a fresh citrus balance to the yams' sweetness. Instead of orange juice you can also try peach nectar or pineapple juice. It is optional but adds a nice aroma and balances off the sweetness.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg - All warming spices, perfect for the festive fall season. Or try pumpkin spice!
- Brown sugar - This is essential for the syrup's caramel flavor. Dark brown sugar, with more molasses, is best, but light or dark works for this recipe. If you don’t have it, regular granulated sugar is fine too but the casserole will lack the delicious dark caramel-like flavor.
- Cornstarch - Makes the sweet liquid thicker, ensuring it coats the yams effectively.
- Vanilla extract - Adds a flavorful richness and aroma to the yam recipe.
- Butter - Unsalted butter adds smooth, sweet creaminess to the potatoes. Don't use the salted butter as it may ruin the flavor.
- Warm spices - Grab ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. These add character and cozy flavor to the dish.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
Choosing Sweet Potatoes For Candied Yams
In the U.S., three common sweet potato types are Beauregard, Jewel, and Garnet. All are great for this recipe, each with slight differences.
- Beauregards, with brown skin, are easily found and sweet.
- Garnets are moist and perfect for pie, yams, or fries, with purple-red skin.
- Jewels fall in between.
When selecting at the store, opt for small to medium sizes; larger ones are starchier. Look for firmness, smooth skin, and no wounds, cracks, or wrinkles.
✅ EXPERT TIP: After purchasing, store them in a dark, cool place to prevent sprouting.
🥘 Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 or 8-inch pan (I used 8x11 inch) or a 2-quart baking dish baking dish with olive oil or butter.
Place the sweet potatoes evenly in the prepared dish.
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, maple, and ginger until well combined.
Evenly pour the brown sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes.
Gently toss the potatoes to coat them in the sauce. Bake for 45-50 minutes, pausing to stir every 15-20 minutes.
Check the sweet potatoes for doneness; they should be firm but easily pierced with a fork.
Once baked, let the yams rest briefly.
This allows flavors to combine and textures to settle, resulting in even more tenderness and a delightful caramelized finish.
What Is The Flavor of Candied Sweet Potatoes?
These old-fashioned candied sweet potatoes are tender, buttery, caramelized at the edges, and bursting with flavors like vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and a hint of orange juice and zest.
What Is The Difference Between Yams and Sweet Potatoes
Yams and sweet potatoes are often mixed up, and the sweet potatoes are usually referred to as yams. In fact, they are two different root vegetables.
Real yams have rough, dark skin and more of a neutral, starchy taste. On the other hand, sweet potatoes have smooth skin, softer flesh, and the sweet flavor we're used to.
Yams originally come from Africa and aren't as common in our regular grocery stores. You'd have a better shot of finding them in special shops or online.
For this recipe, you’ll need vibrant orange "yam." Here's the twist – in the United States, it might be labeled as either a yam or a sweet potato in stores. So, keep an eye out for that when you're shopping!
⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- Casserole dish
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
- Mixing bowls
📋Tips
- Cooking time. Typically, it takes around 45-50 minutes, but it can vary due to factors like oven, dish, potato type, and slice size.
- Traditional baked candied yams are a hot side dish, but they're tasty hot or cold too.
- Add miniature marshmallows. Once baked, scatter marshmallows over the tender sweet potatoes. Put the dish back in the oven for 5 more minutes, until the marshmallows melt and turn golden brown. Serve immediately!
- Slice the yams evenly for consistent cooking. This prevents uneven results where some pieces get too soft and others stay undercooked.
- You can go for medium-thick rounds or half-moons when cutting sweet potatoes. However, note that this might require additional baking time.
- To check if they're done, use a fork to test the yams' tenderness. They should be easily pierced but not overly mushy.
- Pre-boil soak. Before boiling, briefly soak yams in cold water for about 30 minutes. This removes extra starch, ensuring tenderness without mushiness. It's optional, but might lead to slightly better results.
- Arrange yam slices in the dish, layer by layer, adding glaze in between for consistent sweetness in every bite.
Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Store any leftover candied yams in an airtight container after they've cooled completely. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- 🥶Freezing. It's best to skip freezing these, as reheating might make them mushy. For cooked sweet potatoes like mashed or roasted ones, thaw them in the fridge before reheating. Just note, that their texture could be a bit softer after thawing.
- 🔥To Reheat. When you're ready to reheat, remove them from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 400°F, place the yams in a covered baking dish, and bake for 25-35 minutes until warmed through.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can prepare these yams 1-2 days ahead (for the best flavor, but they can be stored longer).
Cover and refrigerate. When serving, reheat the casserole in a preheated oven at 350°F (177°C) for about 10 minutes or until piping hot. To keep them moist and juicy, I suggest covering with aluminum foil.
👪Serving Suggestions
Candied yams are a timeless holiday side, frequently enjoyed at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner.
Pair them with holiday recipes like roasted turkey, chicken, or flaky white fish, roasted ham and juicy steak.
- Green bean casserole
- Juicy cheddar burgers
- Cabbage bake
- Collard greens
- Chicken Alfredo bake
- Slow cooker pulled beef
- Roasted carrots
- mac and cheese
- cheeseburger casserole
For Dessert, Give These a Try!
For all tasty treats, scroll through our Desserts archives.
Variations
- Include a dash of cream. While the dish is already creamy, some opt to add heavy cream to accentuate the caramel flavor.
- Dairy-Free and Vegan Choices. Opt for vegan butter to craft a dairy-free and vegan version of this dish. And for those preferring heavy cream, consider full-fat coconut milk as an alternative.
- Optional topping. For a crunchy mix-ins homemade granola or nuts and raisins are delicious.
- Consider adding a pinch or two of pumpkin pie spice; it complements sweet potatoes nicely.
- Take the sweetness higher by sprinkling mini marshmallows on top after baking. Give it a quick oven stint until the marshmallows start to melt.
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
Avoid canned yams; they lack flavor and can turn mushy. Opt for fresh sweet potatoes for the tastiest candied yams.
Candied yams taste sweet, rich, and slightly caramelized, with a tender texture.
Once the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and a buttery syrup forms in the dish, they're ready.
Yams and sweet potatoes are distinct root veggies. In the US, what's called yams are actually sweet potatoes. True yams have rough bark-like skin, white flesh, and a mild, starchy taste, but they're rare in stores. Sweet potatoes, with smooth skin and sweet flesh, are common. In the US, when people say "yams," they usually mean sweet potatoes.
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📖Recipe
Old Fashioned Candied Sweet Potatoes With Orange Juice
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange juice, freshly squeezed
- olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 or 8-inch pan (I used 8x11 inch) or a 2-quart baking dish baking dish with olive oil or butter.
- Place the sweet potatoes evenly in the prepared dish.
- In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, maple, and ginger until well combined.
- Evenly pour the brown sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes.
- Gently toss the potatoes to coat them in the sauce. Bake for 45-50 minutes, pausing to stir every 15-20 minutes.
- Check the sweet potatoes for doneness; they should be firm but easily pierced with a fork.
- Once baked, let the yams rest briefly. This allows flavors to combine and textures to settle, resulting in even more tenderness and a delightful caramelized finish.
Notes
- Flavor - These old-fashioned candied sweet potatoes are tender, buttery, caramelized at the edges, and bursting with flavors like vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and a hint of orange.
- Add miniature marshmallows. Once baked, scatter marshmallows over the tender sweet potatoes. Put the dish back in the oven for 5 more minutes, until the marshmallows melt and turn golden brown. Serve right away!
- To Store. Store any leftover candied yams in an airtight container after they've cooled completely. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- Freezing. It's best to skip freezing these, as reheating might make them mushy. For cooked sweet potatoes like mashed or roasted ones, thaw them in the fridge before reheating. Just note, that their texture could be a bit softer after thawing.
- To Reheat. When you're ready to reheat, remove them from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 400°F, place the yams in a covered baking dish, and bake for 25-35 minutes until warmed through.
Rita
delicious holiday staple, these old fashioned candied sweet potatoes tastes incredible and are easy to make. Enjoy!